I have been a "people pleaser" for my entire life. And if you're somewhat like me, you know that pleasing people is not easy. I've spent years and years of my life trying to make people like me. I've sacrificed my own needs and desires in order to make other people happy. However, one thing I've slowly come to realize is that you can never make everyone like you, and no matter what you do, you can't make everybody happy.

I always thought that maybe if I did this or that, I'd be loved and accepted. Or maybe, if I did something special or spectacular, they would look at me differently, and nobody would dislike who I was.

The truth is, you cannot live your life for people. You can be the best person in the entire world and dedicate your entire life to serving and helping others, win countless Olympic medals, adopt a hundred children from Haiti, build water wells for African villages, or solve world hunger, but there will still always be someone who dislikes you or criticizes you. Throughout my years of middle school and high school, and even my first few years of college, this bothered me a lot. If someone had bad blood with me or disliked me for some reason, I would do whatever I could to fix the problem I had with that person. Many times, I've even sacrificed my own sanity to make someone else happy.

I'd like to say that I'm done. I'm putting an end to caring. I've decided that I am going to be me, no matter what they think. I'm going to be the person I was created to be regardless of what others say and think. If somebody dislikes me, so what? How come there are seven billion people in the world but we are often hung up on one single person who decides not to give us the time of day?

I once heard somewhere that your reputation and your character are two opposite things. Your reputation is what others think of you, and your character is who you really are. I'm much more worried personally about being a woman full of godly, kind, compassionate, and loving character, than being a woman who everybody praises. My worth does not reside in other people and what other people think of me. I'm so sad that it took me so long to realize this.

Ever since realizing how little the opinion of others matters, I've been able to stick up for myself. I still desire to portray myself with kindness and grace, but I am not afraid to stick up for who I am and what I believe. I will no longer let others stomp all over me, and I will not let the opinions of others destroy my self-esteem. I believe that those who are meant to be in your life will be the ones who encourage and build you up anyway, not tear you down and trip you apart.

Who I am matters to me. What you say about me, doesn't.

The only single opinion that matters to me is God's, and finally realizing this truth has set me free.